Onward to Sault Ste. Marie ON

We departed Canisbay CG and Algonquin Park mid-morning on Sunday, headed to Sudbury ON, 180 miles north.  This is the point in this journal where I normally say we had a smooth and uneventful drive.   NOT!  While hitching up the Element and before leaving the camp ground, my tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) began squealing and announced that the pressure in the left rear tire was only 14.5 PSI.  My digital tire pressure gauge confirmed the diagnosis.  CRAP!  Further inspection revealed a screw head protruding from the tread.  The good news is that the tire had not gone totally flat overnight, suggesting it was a relatively slow leak.  There was both a Canadian Tire store and a Walmart Supercentre in Huntsville about 45 minutes away along our route.  The bad news is it was Sunday morning, and we wondered whether either would be open.  Since it seemed to be a slow leak I decided to inflate it to 40 PSI and hope we made it to Huntsville. During the drive we monitored the pressure in the tire, and it actually increased slightly as the temperature rose.  We would come to Canadian Tire before Walmart, and it was closer to our intended route.  Dorcas called and learned that the auto service center was closed on Sundays, but said they did have one mechanic standing by for simple emergency repairs, such as a punctured tire.  Parking was tight at the store, but since the auto service center was closed, we could park by the garage doors.  SWEET!  The mechanic was just finishing his lunch and had the tire repaired in about 20 minutes.  At the same stop we filled up the Element with gas, whose low fuel light had been on for about a day and a half and topped off the coach with diesel.  The prices for both fuels were cheaper than anywhere else along our route through Canada before we re-enter the US next week.  All in all not a bad morning.

Canadian Tire: an auto parts store, auto service center and general store rolled into one

Prime parking spot

From this point on, our trip was smooth and uneventful, although not particularly scenic.  Our GPS directed us down a secondary road PR 3, that we thought might be a little iffy, but we stuck it out and hit the major road after about 20 miles.

To see a short dashboard video of PR 3, click here.

You don't often see a turtle crossing sign (photo cut from dash cam)

Eventually we checked into Mine Mill 598/CAW Campground on the shore of Richard Lake.  The camp ground is apparently owned by the Canadian Auto Workers union, and union members receive discounted camping.  Still at $35 CAD/night (about $27 USD) it seemed to be a good deal ... except for one thing....

We should have taken this sign as a sign.  In these parts "hydro" means electrical service.

.... we should have known there might be a problem when we read this sign at the office.  I don't think I have ever been threatened before for using my A/C.  But the evening was cool enough that A/C was not necessary.  Also, 95% of the sites were occupied by seasonal locals who would be leaving soon, leaving most of the power grid to us. We were fine right?  WRONG!  We have an Energy Management System (EMS) that monitors various electrical parameters at the power pedestal, including high low voltage.  When it detects a condition that is out of spec, it will shut off power to the coach.  When the condition is resolved the EMS will restore power to the coach.  A/C units particularly abhor low voltage and can be damaged.  We were connected to 30 amp service, which means we should be able to run 2 major appliances, such as an A/C, microwave, etc. and still have power to run lesser draw devices, such as fridge, lights and TV.  In this case the voltage was dropping below 104 VAC, even when we had no major devices running.  Not good.

Our home at Mine Mill 598/CAW Campground

Finally after about 8:00 PM the power supply seemed to improve.  By that time most of the seasonal campers had departed from their weekend at the lake, and the remainders were no longer running their A/Cs, microwaves or hot plates.  I can't imagine what it would be like on a hot busy summer weekend.  Most folks don't have the monitoring equipment we have and probably wonder why their air conditioners burn out each year.

We took a stroll on the beach and finally checked out about noon.  Our next destination was Sault Ste. Marie, about 190 miles away.  The drive was very pleasant and scenic, and we had glimpses of Lake Huron to the south. We stopped at some very nice picnic areas with river overlooks, spending about an hour at each.

A very scenic construction zone

We had a long lunch at a picnic area on the river just past the bridge.

Fine dining in Bruce Mines ON

About 5:00 we came by Bobbers Restaurant in Bruce Mines.  We were hungry and there was good parking in the rear.  We both had the fish and chips and split a slice of home made blueberry pie a la mode.  Yum.

We don't eat out much, so when we do we like to share the joy

The pie looked so good we forgot to take a picture before digging in. 

We managed to turn a 3 1/2 hour drive into a 7 hour drive, but finally did arrive at Sault Ste. Marie about 7:00 PM.  We are parked at the OLG Casino for the next 3 nights.  We stayed here last year in September, and it is a sweet location.  We are parked in a far corner next to the Ontario Visitor Center and can get their fast, free WiFi in the coach.  It is also within walking distance to the St. Mary River Walk, the Walmart Super Centre, 3 Tim Horton's restaurants and the Algoma Train Station.  We could also probably walk across the International Bridge to Michigan, but it would be a bit of a hike.

Our home at OLG Casino Sault Ste. Marie

"Sault" (pronounced soo) is an old French word meaning falls or rapids.  Sault Ste. Marie therefore means "St. Mary river rapids".  The rapids drop about 23 feet.  On the American side there are 4 major  locks that allow freighters to bypass the rapids.  The Canadian Lock is much smaller and serves pleasure craft.  This is not our first trip to this area.  You can read about last year's trip here.

The casino mascot?

Canadians are all gaga over Tim Hortons

We walked to Tim Hortons for breakfast on Tuesday.  We had to find out what the fuss was all about.  This store happens to be in the food court at Station Mall, the second largest mall in Northern Ontario.  There is even a Walmart Supercentre as an anchor store in the mall.  This store is not the usual store due to its mall location.  The breakfast fares were good, grilled bacon, cheese and egg bagel for me, and a bacon, egg and cheese wrap for Dorcas.  With blueberry and multi-fruit muffins.  We plan to go to a stand alone store before we leave and will report on that experience later.

Coffee and muffins at Tim Hortons, served in bi-lingual wrappers

Looking up into the Canadian canal and the International Bridge

"Algoma" is a political district in Northeastern Ontario

On Wednesday we took a train ride  We boarded the Algoma Central Railway bound for Agawa Canyon 114 miles north.  This is a very popular tour and is already sold out for the fall.

Click here to watch the train pull into the station.

Dorcas enjoying the view

Click here for a short video clip of the ride.

The Agawa River

Bridal Veil Falls is the premier water fall in the park, but was rather anticlimactic on this day.  It's been dry here folks!

Bridal Veil Falls

North Black Beaver Falls was running a little better

A nurse stump

The trestle over the Montreal River

A beaver lodge

Was there a wildlife sighting from the train? Click here and see!

Our car was equipped with an "engine cam" so we could see ahead of the train

The International Bridge to the US from the train

Heavy braking power on our car

RVers will recognize this.  A high capacity model to serve 60 passengers on a 10-hour trip

On Wednesday night we walked to another Tim Hortons, a stand-alone store.  The menu was essentially the same as the one in the food court at the mall.  I guess they are best known for their pastries and coffee.  Frankly I don't understand what the fuss is all about. We did enjoy the muffins!

The customs lane for drivers arriving from the US, just a block from our camp

On Thursday morning we departed the Sault and headed north on PH 17.